Manager, Compensation

Safe Horizon; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 80,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid time-off

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Life Insurance

403(b) Retirement Plan

Job summary

Safe Horizon in New York, NY seeks a Manager of Compensation to design, administer, and continuously improve the organization’s compensation programs. This role reports to the Senior Director, Total Rewards & Wellness and ensures practices are competitive, equitable, compliant, financially responsible, and aligned with the broader Total Rewards strategy.

The position covers salary structures, market analysis, pay equity, annual compensation planning, compensation systems, governance, and

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Finance, Economics, Data Analytics, or a related field required.
• Advanced proficiency in Excel and Microsoft Office.
• Experience with HRIS compensation modules, reporting, analytics, and system administration.
• Five+ years of progressively responsible compensation or Total Rewards experience.
• Experience designing and administering enterprise compensation programs.

Responsibilities

• Design, administer, and maintain competitive, equitable, and sustainable compensation programs, including base pay, merit, incentives, differentials, premium pay, and recognition-related compensation.
• Partner with the Senior Director, Total Rewards & Wellness to align compensation strategy with workforce needs, financial priorities, benefits, talent acquisition, performance management, and employee experience.
• Evaluate compensation policies, practices, and programs and recommend scalable improvements that support consistent decision-making and talent attraction and retention.
• Monitor market and regulatory trends and recommend updates to compensation programs and practices.
• Develop salary ranges, grades, job families, levels, career structures, and progression frameworks.
• Evaluate new and existing roles for appropriate scope, level, salary range, job code, and FLSA classification.
• Conduct salary surveys and market studies and analyze compensation data by role, geography, industry, and labor market.
• Assess the organization’s competitive market position and recommend adjustments for hard-to-fill, high-turnover, or specialized roles.
• Identify and resolve inconsistencies in job titles, responsibilities, levels, and compensation.
• Maintain accurate job descriptions, job evaluation records, and compensation documentation.
• Develop salary recommendations for new hires, promotions, transfers, reclassifications, and other internal movements.
• Partner with Talent Acquisition on offer strategy and candidate compensation decisions.
• Advise leadership on pay decisions, market adjustments, salary justifications, retention considerations, and compensation exceptions.
• Present structured options, risks, and tradeoffs to support leadership decision-making.
• Support the annual compensation review and planning process, including salary range updates, merit planning, promotions, and market adjustments.
• Coordinate planning timelines, tools, manager guidance, communications, approvals, and quality assurance.
• Partner with Finance on compensation budgets, salary forecasting, workforce planning, and cost modeling.
• Prepare executive reports and presentations summarizing compensation outcomes, costs, trends, and risks.
• Conduct internal equity and pay equity analyses and recommend corrective action where needed.
• Establish and maintain governance standards for offers, promotions, salary adjustments, differentials, incentives, and exceptions.
• Monitor compensation decisions for consistency, internal equity, and alignment with established practices.
• Partner with Legal and People Experience leadership on compensation-related compliance and risk matters.
• Maintain appropriate documentation and approval records for compensation decisions.
• Serve as the functional SME for compensation-related HRIS functions, workflows, job codes, grades, ranges, and FLSA data.
• Coordinate system testing, troubleshoot data and interface issues, and identify opportunities to automate and streamline processes.
• Develop dashboards and reports on salary distribution, range penetration, compa-ratios, pay compression, internal equity, market position, and compensation costs.
• Analyze compensation trends, workforce demographics, turnover, recruitment outcomes, and budget impact to support organizational decision-making.

Skills

Excel

Microsoft Office

Education

Bachelor’s degree in HR / Business / Finance / Economics / Data Analytics

Tools

HRIS modules

Job description

The Manager, Compensation is responsible for designing, administering, and continuously improving the organization’s compensation programs to support employee attraction, engagement, retention, and organizational effectiveness. Reporting to the Senior Director, Total Rewards & Wellness, this role ensures compensation practices are competitive, equitable, compliant, financially responsible, and aligned with the organization’s broader Total Rewards strategy.

The Manager oversees salary structures, job architecture, market analysis, pay equity, annual compensation planning, compensation systems, and governance. This role provides strategic and operational guidance on new hire offers, promotions, internal mobility, market adjustments, incentives, and other compensation decisions.

Essential Responsibilities

• Design, administer, and maintain competitive, equitable, and sustainable compensation programs, including base pay, merit, incentives, differentials, premium pay, and recognition-related compensation.
• Partner with the Senior Director, Total Rewards & Wellness to align compensation strategy with workforce needs, financial priorities, benefits, talent acquisition, performance management, and employee experience.
• Evaluate compensation policies, practices, and programs and recommend scalable improvements that support consistent decision-making and talent attraction and retention.
• Monitor market and regulatory trends and recommend updates to compensation programs and practices.

Salary Structures, Job Architecture & Market Analysis

• Develop and maintain salary ranges, grades, job families, levels, career structures, and progression frameworks.
• Evaluate new and existing roles for appropriate scope, level, salary range, job code, and FLSA classification.
• Conduct salary surveys and market studies and analyze compensation data by role, geography, industry, and labor market.
• Assess the organization’s competitive market position and recommend adjustments for hard-to-fill, high-turnover, or specialized roles.
• Identify and resolve inconsistencies in job titles, responsibilities, levels, and compensation.
• Maintain accurate job descriptions, job evaluation records, and compensation documentation.

Compensation Advisory & Decision Support

• Develop salary recommendations for new hires, promotions, transfers, reclassifications, and other internal movements.
• Partner with Talent Acquisition on offer strategy and candidate compensation decisions.
• Advise PX Partners and managers on pay decisions, market adjustments, salary justifications, retention considerations, and compensation exceptions.
• Present structured options, risks, and tradeoffs to support leadership decision-making.

Annual Compensation Planning

• Support the annual compensation review and planning process, including salary range updates, merit planning, promotions, and market adjustments.
• Coordinate planning timelines, tools, manager guidance, communications, approvals, and quality assurance.
• Partner with Finance on compensation budgets, salary forecasting, workforce planning, and cost modeling.
• Prepare executive reports and presentations summarizing compensation outcomes, costs, trends, and risks.

Pay Equity & Compensation Governance

• Conduct internal equity and pay equity analyses and recommend corrective action where needed.
• Establish and maintain governance standards for offers, promotions, salary adjustments, differentials, incentives, and exceptions.
• Monitor compensation decisions for consistency, internal equity, and alignment with established practices.
• Partner with Legal and People Experience leadership on compensation-related compliance and risk matters.
• Maintain appropriate documentation and approval records for compensation decisions.

Compensation Systems, Reporting & Analytics

• Serve as the functional subject matter expert for compensation-related HRIS functions, workflows, job codes, grades, ranges, and FLSA data.
• Partner with the Manager, HRIS & Data Analytics to maintain system accuracy, data integrity, and effective reporting.
• Coordinate system testing, troubleshoot data and interface issues, and identify opportunities to automate and streamline processes.
• Develop dashboards and reports on salary distribution, range penetration, compa-ratios, pay compression, internal equity, market position, and compensation costs.
• Analyze compensation trends, workforce demographics, turnover, recruitment outcomes, and budget impact to support organizational decision-making.

Communication, Training & Vendor Management

• Develop manager resources, toolkits, and training related to compensation decisions and pay practices.
• Lead communications related to salary structures, annual compensation processes, and compensation program changes.
• Participate in vendor selection, contract negotiation, and performance management for compensation surveys, consultants, and technology providers.

Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Finance, Economics, Data Analytics, or a related field required.

Experience

• Five+ years of progressively responsible compensation or Total Rewards experience.
• Demonstrated experience designing and administering enterprise compensation programs.
• Advanced proficiency in Excel and Microsoft Office
• Experience developing salary structures, conducting market analysis, evaluating jobs, and supporting annual compensation cycles.
• Experience with HRIS compensation modules, reporting, analytics, and system administration.
• Experience advising leaders on complex compensation decisions.

Experience in a complex, multi-site, nonprofit, human services, healthcare, education, or similarly mission-driven organization preferred.

This position is on a hybrid schedule with the flexibility to work remotely 3 days per week, subject to change.

If hired, I agree to abide byall ofSafe Horizon’s rules and regulations, and understand that, if employed, my employment may be terminated with or without cause, and with or without notice, at any time, at the option of either the company or me. I further understand that no representation, whether oral or written by any representative or agent of the organization, at any time, constitutes a contract of employment.

AmeriCorps, PeaceCorpsand other national service alumni are encouraged to apply.

Technology Statement

Applicants may be responsible for providing the equipment and tools they need to work remotely as required, such as access to a computer, internet service, and phone service. Safe Horizon will discuss potential solutions with candidates and may assist where needed and agreed to in advance.

Please follow this link to view complete EEO Law and complaint filing information:

Know Your Rights: Workplace discrimination is illegal

Salary: $80,000 - $90,000 per year

Full-time Hours: 35 Hours per week

Full-time Benefits: Paid time-off, Medical, Dental, Vision, and Life Insurance, 403(b) Retirement Plan, Medical/Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts, Tuition Assistance Program, Commuter Benefits Program, Gym Reimbursement, Parental Leave, Employee Learning Center

Safe Horizon was named one of City & State New York Top Workplaces of 2025 and 2026 Top Workplaces